Kevin Bludso's Texas-style barbecue pit, powered by dense hickory logs and a massive custom-designed smoker, is as close to true barbecue gospel as you can get in Los Angeles. Most days, Bludso himself can be found out back, pulling from the smoker blackened beef ribs as tender and smoky as a blues ballad.

Take-out containers are the standard at Bludso's BBQ. So are little cups of baked beans basted with pork drippings, braised collard greens dashed with vinegar, and the slices of plain white bread used to mop up the spicy sauce. You will more than likely leave with a cattleman's portion of meat cooked low and slow, the inner edges of beef stained pink by the penetrating smoke. Fellow barbecue hounds who have also made the trek down to Compton will stand alongside you, each hoping that the person in front of them doesn't order the day's last beef rib.

From the tender brisket, to the cornbread, to the cans of grape pop, Bludso's is pure American bliss. Those thick cut beef ribs in particular, crusted with black char and beautifully tender, are a must order. This temple of meat, smoke, and fire deserves regular pilgrimages.